Did you know one of the best places to SnipSnap is the pet store? There are dozens of coupons in the SnipSnap app for (sometimes free!) pet food and accessories at major pet store chain retailers. I love scoring free cat food for my little guy, Mario (he loves it too). Recently I got to chat with Lyndsey Hood, one of our experienced SnipSnap users from Haddock, Georgia, who regularly uses the app to save almost 50% on everything she buys for her pit bull puppy, Nugget. I asked her a few questions about her mobile couponing strategy. Here’s what she had to share:
Hi, Lyndsey! How did you start couponing?
I began couponing in Spring, 2011.I pretty much taught myself by going to the grocery store, studying store offers, and taking notes from www.southernsavers.com. How did you learn about SnipSnap?What has your experience with the app been like?
I found SnipSnap by searching for coupon apps in the app store on my phone. My experience has been awesome so far! It is so convenient to search for the store you want to shop at when you’re planning a trip and it’s great when you see a good coupon. What is the best/most memorable purchase you’ve made with SnipSnap?
I think the purchase I was most excited about was made at PetSmart. I saved 45% with the help of SnipSnap, store sales, and manufacturer coupons. I was excited because SnipSnap had a coupon for $2 off a pet tag purchase and that was one of the items I was going to get anyway! How does traditional couponing compare to couponing with SnipSnap?
With traditional couponing, you have to devote a lot of time to cutting and clipping and searching for deals. But with SnipSnap, you just have to take a picture or search for a store/coupon and the work is done!
Do you have any tips or tricks to using SnipSnap that you could share? What is your SnipSnap strategy? Just make sure you have a full battery! I was Christmas shopping at the Gap Outlet and my battery nearly died before the cashier could scan my coupon! Also, don’t forget to search for the store you want before you go shopping. Nothing is worse than finding a coupon you could have used after you go shopping.
What stores do you use SnipSnap at most? I SnipSnap most at Rue 21, PetSmart and Gap. Do you use any other mobile couponing apps? If so, which are your favorite and why? I use Ibotta, Endorse, and SavingStar. Ibotta is my favorite of these because Ibotta offers are easily matched with sales and coupons to save the most money! How much money have you saved with SnipSnap and what do you plan to do with your savings? I have saved about $200 using the app so far. I put the money toward other things my boyfriend and I need. What do you think about the future of couponing? Will we see a complete transition to mobile coupons, or will print coupons always have their place? I think there will always be print coupons but eventually more stores will begin using mobile or ecoupons as well. I prefer print coupons. I think that, with the popularity of Extreme Couponing, manufacturers have put more restrictions and limitations on their coupons but, hopefully, when the craze fades, the coupons will get better!
I met Rosalind on her YouTube channel Beginnercouponer, where she features pretty sweet haul videos, demonstrating how to shop for free (or almost free!) at retailers like Target and CVS. Rosalind is relatively new to couponing, but she’s already a professional CVS Extra Care customer who knows how to buy groceries, cosmetics, and toys using coupons for next to nothing. I got to talk to Rosalind about her couponing strategy and how she incorporates SnipSnap into her frugal lifestyle. Here’s what she had to say!
MM: Hey, Rosalind! Tell us all about yourself. RC: I’m a recent stay-at-home mom, after I gave birth to my second baby 5 months ago. We are a family of 5 – currently. (There may be more to add!) We live a very simple and frugal life so, for fun, we watch movies as a family at home; we also have a husky, so we’ll be getting a little more outdoor-sy by going biking and hiking!
MM: How did you begin couponing? How has couponing changed your life? RC: My husband talked to me about couponing a few years ago, but I never looked into it. I didn’t think it was necessary at the time, because I was working as well and we had a second income. But, after I became a stay-at-home mom, our finances weren’t as up to par. So I decided to learn how to coupon about 7 or 8 months ago. I watched a few videos on YouTube, searched the net, and went to a class held at my church – and then I decided to really get into it . I subscribed to 5 Sunday papers and started the non-clipping system. I made a few beginner’s mistakes here and there, but I eventually got the hang of it; once I built up ECBs [Extra Care Bucks] at CVS, I was amazed by how much I started saving! I still call myself the Beginnercouponer because I am always learning, and things always change/improve. I am much more experienced now and, after seeing how much money I can save with couponing, I always cringe when I see people buy things at full price that we as couponers can get for free! Even my husband is now always looking at prices and trying to use coupons for even the smallest items!
MM: How did you learn about SnipSnap? What has your experience with the app been like? RC: I learned about SnipSnap when I was looking for a couponing organizational system on my phone. I downloaded a few apps and SnipSnap was one of them. I thought it was a great idea to scan your coupons into a digital coupon; the app tells you when a coupon is expiring to make sure you use it! I’ve used SnipSnap at several stores, such as Target, Hobby Lobby, and Home Depot. I’ve had many successful redemptions, so I decided to make a video introducing the app to my viewers on my YouTube channel!
MM: What is the best/most memorable purchase you’ve made with SnipSnap? RC: The free pizzas I was able to get from Target!
MM: How does traditional couponing compare to couponing with SnipSnap? RC: I think SnipSnap’s concept of making paper coupons digital is great – very handy and user friendly, because you don’t have to carry paper coupons around in your binder; you have them all on your phone! Who doesn’t have their phone with them nowadays!
MM: Do you have any tips or tricks to using SnipSnap that you could share? What is your SnipSnap strategy? RC: I would recommend trying the app everywhere you go. You never know where you will be able to save that extra $5 or 50% on a transaction. Use it at restaurants if you can find coupons for where you’re heading out to eat. Use it at pet stores, use it everywhere! That’s my strategy: find as many places that accept my digital coupons successfully as I can.
MM: Do you use any other mobile couponing apps? If so, which are your favorite and why? RC: Grocery Smarts is a great app to use because it has coupon match ups for many states and many grocery stores, which is very helpful! I haven’t found any other couponing apps that can convert a paper coupon into a digital coupon yet, although there are a few coupon forums that have apps.
MM: How much money have you saved with SnipSnap and what do you plan to do with your savings? RC: I think I have saved more than $50-$80 using the app after just the first few stores I’ve been to. I plan on putting the savings in my pocket to use for more groceries or just savings in general!
Make sure you check out Rosalind’s YouTube channel to catch up on all her latest drug stores hauls. (Watch the video below to find out how to get Easter egg dying kits and bags upon bags of dark chocolate for almost free!) Rosalind also blogs at Wife Life as a Christian, about her every day life, super-saver strategies, and spirituality.
Pets can be really expensive. But you love them and they’re part of your family, so you want to make sure they’re exceptionally well taken care of. Did you know you can coupon on pet food and supplies at the pet store just as you coupon on people food and supplies at the grocery store? Did you know that pet store coupons are typically much higher value? Prepare to have your mind blown.
If you haven’t already, make sure you follow me in the new SnipSnap 2.1, and subscribe to my “Pets” coupon bundle. And then check out all the amazing coupons inside. You can coupon for completely free cat food, dog food, and pet training tools. You can coupon on pet accessories, grooming services, and even the pets themselves. Check out how I scored completely free cat food at Petco with SnipSnap for my little guy Mario.
In order to coupon at a chain pet store like Petco or PetSmart, you need to be a member of each store’s loyalty program. Don’t worry – it’s completely free to join and you can sign up in store at check out and redeem your first coupons right away!